It was an emotional return to Bathurst for a delegation from our sister city Ohkuma on the weekend.
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The group of eight students and five adults are visiting for five days. It is the first time they have been to Bathurst since the earthquake that caused the devastating accident at the nuclear plant on the town’s outskirts.
They are calling their visit The Wings of Hope Tour.
Superintendent of Education Toshihide Takeuchi said yesterday the delegation came to Bathurst to express the deep gratitude the people of Ohkuma feel for the support shown to them by the local community.
The people of Bathurst showed astonishing generosity, raising more than $70,000 and sending thousands of messages of hope to the people of Ohkuma who lost everything in the disaster.
Mr Takeuchi said high radiation levels mean the former Ohkuma town has had to be abandoned. However, town officials have worked hard to keep the community together.
“Bathurst city has sent us so much help in the form of funds raised and we are really very thankful,” he said.
“We came to thank you. After meeting the mayor and others we feel stronger. We feel we are being assisted and supported.”
Mr Takeuchi said there had been a trip to Bathurst planned after the accident at the power plant but once the earthquake struck that was no longer possible. “We hoped to bring them out as soon as possible,” he said.
“We contacted Bathurst Regional Council and they were so happy to have us come. They were so welcoming.”
Despite the difficulties facing the people of Ohkuma Mr Takeuchi said it was important to make this journey at the first available opportunity.
“The history of the 20-year sister city relationship is very important and we want to keep it. We are so thankful to have this relationship,” he said.
“I want to stress how grateful we are to all the Bathurst people for supporting us and for making donations to us. It has been a great help in putting the children’s lives back together.”
Mayor Greg Westman said the visit was truly amazing.
“It is very humbling to be able to have them in Bathurst again when there is so much tragedy in their lives,” he said. “They have proven to be very adaptable in order to hold their community together.
“It is good to be able to talk to them about how they are going about that. It has been a fairly emotional visit.”
Cr Westman said it was pleasing to see the sister city relationship with Ohkuma continuing.
He said the people of Bathurst have worked hard right from the day of the tragedy right through the fundraising process.
Fudeko Reekie, the group’s translator, said the visitors were having wonderful experiences.
There have been meals at Restaurant 9inety2wo and Jack Duggans and Rydges, visits to the Japanese garden, the Uniting Church and Ss Michael and John’s Cathedral, afternoon tea at Abercrombie House, horse riding at Yarrabin and an official mayoral reception last night.
